The instant after the woman in the plaid shirt uttered that bloodcurdling whisper, the pale leg that had previously blocked their path retracted swiftly, as if with a mind of its own.
Following that, a short woman emerged from the partially open warehouse door. Her hair was a matted mess, like a clump of dead grass haphazardly strewn about, completely obscuring her face and making her features indiscernible. Her head was tilted at an unnatural angle, swaying gently and rhythmically from side to side, as if her cervical spine had suffered a severe blow and could no longer provide proper support. She wore a filthy, ill-fitting tracksuit, and her limbs appeared exceptionally slender.
The plaid-shirt zombie let out a sharp hiss at the short woman, as if issuing a command.
Almost the instant the hiss faded, the short woman moved!
She shot forward like a small cannon with a lit fuse, lunging towards Elara's group with a terrifying speed and explosive power that completely belied her frail physique! Each step she took on the smooth concrete floor left shallow, white imprints, a testament to the sheer force behind her movements!
"Holy—!"
The first to bear the brunt was Jorah, who was closest to the warehouse door and still瘫坐 (sprawled/paralyzed) on the ground. He watched in horror as the small figure hurtled towards him like an arrow loosed from a bow. Terrified out of his wits, he fumbled and scattered the handful of plant seeds from his pocket.
However, this was a hard concrete floor, offering no soil for the seeds to take root. The eagerly anticipated seeds mostly bounced feebly on the ground. A few resilient ones managed to sprout tiny shoots, but they quickly withered and fell to the cold floor, unable to draw sustenance.
Just as the short woman's sharp claws were about to reach Jorah's face, Elara's eyes narrowed, and she unleashed her spatial ability without hesitation! An invisible, razor-sharp spatial blade materialized out of thin air, precisely slashing at the short woman's outstretched arm!
"Pfft—"
With a dull thud, the lower half of the short woman's hand, along with her sharp nails, was severed and fell to the ground. Dark brown, foul-smelling blood gushed from the stump.
Yet, the intense pain didn't seem to deter the short woman; instead, it further ignited her ferocity! She let out an inhuman shriek and, disregarding her severed hand, continued her savage lunge towards Jorah!
In that critical moment, a swift figure rushed in from behind!
It was the plaid-shirt zombie!
It kicked the still-attacking short woman violently, sending her tumbling across the ground several times before she came to a stop! The force was immense.
"Sis—!"
A hoarse, distorted syllable, yet laced with an unbelievable… urgency and pain, was painfully squeezed from the plaid-shirt zombie's throat.
In the next second, an invisible, incredibly violent torrent of air erupted from the plaid-shirt zombie! Gusts of chilling wind inexplicably swept through the underground parking garage. Countless deep gashes, as if carved by innumerable invisible blades, instantly appeared on the surrounding concrete walls and parked vehicles! Only the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" of wind blades slicing through the air, a sound that made scalps tingle, could be heard, but no actual attacks were visible!
"Wind-based ability!" Zephyr's pupils contracted sharply, his face etched with incredulous shock. An undead… actually possesses an ability! And such powerful elemental control!
He unleashed his own power without hesitation! Thick ice walls shot up from the ground, attempting to block the invisible wind blades. The temperature in the entire garage plummeted to freezing point in an instant! The clash of ice and wind produced ear-piercing screeches and explosions. Although Zephyr could also manipulate air currents and create gusts, his abilities clearly paled in comparison to the extreme sharpness and all-pervasive nature of the wind blades displayed by this zombie in terms of offensive power.
Cassian also acted simultaneously. Water surged from beneath his feet like a bursting river, rapidly spreading towards the plaid-shirt zombie. Aided by Zephyr's ice ability, the water instantly solidified into hard ice upon contact with the zombie's ankles, attempting to freeze its feet firmly in place.
Meanwhile, the short woman who had been kicked away didn't seem to be seriously injured. She struggled, trying to get up and attack again.
"I'll control her!" Vespera, who had been desperately trying to establish a mental link with this advanced undead, had a face flushed crimson, her forehead beaded with sweat. Controlling such a clearly higher-level undead, one with a degree of independent consciousness, was an immense strain on her. Her expression was even slightly contorted from the exertion.
The short woman seemed to be affected by Vespera's ability, her movements becoming somewhat sluggish and hesitant, but she still stubbornly tried to attack Amily, who was closest to her.
In the midst of this chaotic battle, Elara, relying on her agile movements and precise spatial cuts, successfully flanked the plaid-shirt zombie. Seizing the opportunity while it was preoccupied with Zephyr and Cassian's combined efforts, her dagger once again flashed with a deadly cold light, cleanly severing one of its wind-blade-wielding arms!
As the plaid-shirt zombie let out a pained shriek due to its severed arm, Vespera, who had been struggling to maintain control over the short woman, also seemed to reach her limit. Her small body swayed violently, and she slumped to the ground, seemingly exhausted, gasping for breath.
"Vespera!" Amily cried out, quickly pulling her daughter into a tight embrace.
Elara was also startled by this and was about to divert her attention to help, but then she saw Vespera give her a weak yet somewhat relieved smile. Though her face was pale and bloodless, and her forehead was covered in sweat, her eyes were exceptionally bright.
Amily hugged her daughter tightly, constantly kissing her forehead, tears welling in her eyes.
Then, the short zombie, which had been stubbornly trying to attack, suddenly ceased all movement. It stood vacantly in place, looking around, like a puppet that had lost all its commands.
In the next moment, under everyone's astonished gazes, Vespera extended a trembling little hand. With all her strength, she firmly pointed at the plaid-shirt zombie, which was still entangled with Zephyr and Cassian!
The next instant, the short zombie moved!
It no longer attacked Amily, nor did it look around blankly. Instead, it turned and, with the same ferocious speed and force it had used to attack Jorah, unhesitatingly… lunged at the plaid-shirt zombie!
Upon seeing the "sister" it had been protecting turn and attack it, the fervent battle intent and brutal ferocity in the plaid-shirt zombie's eyes seemed to dissipate in an instant. Its movements became sluggish. It even seemed to give up resisting, allowing the short zombie to tackle it to the ground and tear at it savagely…
The entire battle concluded with an almost absurd speed and in an equally bizarre manner.
However, the crisis was far from over.
Just as an eerie silence descended upon the underground parking garage once more, from all directions, from every corner of the Research Institute, came the deafening, overlapping roars of countless undead!